


Old Blood

by Skara_Brae



Category: Battle Creek (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, M/M, Not finale-compatible, Oral Sex, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-02 07:18:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4051177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skara_Brae/pseuds/Skara_Brae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Russ Agnew is a long suffering vampire who has just been given a new assignment. Unfortunately, this new assignment requires him to claim his perfect, FBI Agent partner Milt Chamberlain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have kind of made up my own rules about Vampires for this story. Please don't expect this to conform with the popular mythology. Thank you!

Russ snorted as he took in the fanged, caped actor leering at him from the poster on the local movie house. His kind were so unfairly maligned in popular culture. Everyone said it was better this way. Better than the general population had no idea super-humans who occasionally drank blood walked among them. Russ supposed that it might be for the best, but it didn’t make it any easier for him to connect with people. To share. No one at work knew about him, aside from Kim, who was a vampire as well. He was lucky he had her. Someday he would be forced to move, to start again among strangers so  no one would begin to suspect. …

He sighed and turned away. He was waiting for Milt to charm the theater manager into rescinding her lead suspect’s alibi for the night in question. Richard Sanderson may be a model popcorn-popper, but there was no way he was at work and breaking into a building across town at the same time.

Milt emerged a few moments later, with the news that Sanderson definitely clocked in at six-thirty, but no one saw him between seven and the nine o’clock show.

“Great. Let’s go pick him up.” As Russ turned he saw Milt giving the poster the side-eye. “What?

Milt shook his head. “Nothing. I just don’t get the appeal of vampire movies.”

“So you’re not a Twilight fan?”

Milt laughed. “I’m surprised you’d admit to knowing what that is.”

Russ flushed. “Erin and Holly were talking about it one afternoon. It’s apparently anti-feminist claptrap.”

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Russ. You can be a secure, masculine cop and still like to read about sparkly vampires.”

“Ha Ha.”

They picked up Sanderson, brought him back to the station and threw him in the box to let him stew for a while. Milt got a call he had to take in his office.

Russ was helping himself to one of yesterday’s leftover éclairs when Commander Guziewicz called him into her office.

“What’s up?” he asked, slumping into a chair and licking the chocolate off his fingers.

“You weren’t at the coven meeting last night.”

Russ rolled his eyes. “Why would I bother? Nothing new ever happens at those stupid things.”

“Really? Well, then I guess that you weren’t named a Guardian.” She smiled at Russ’s dropped jaw. “Since nothing new ever happens.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not.” Her eyes were warm. “Congratulations, Russ. I know you have wanted this for a long time.”

Russ pressed his face into his hands and rubbed his eyes. “I can’t believe it. This is incredible.”

“You deserve it.”

Russ let out a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling. “I know I do.” He heard Kim’s snort. “I just didn’t think it would ever happen.”

“You know, as a Guardian, you will be required to have a consort.”

Russ nodded, and rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess they’ll assign me one.”

“They already have.” Russ stared at her. “And I wanted to be the one to tell you.”

“What do you mean? Who have they assigned?”

Her lips quirked like she was trying hard not to smile. “It’s Milt.”

There was a pause while he processed this…then “ _Milt_? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“’Fraid not.”

“How… what…That doesn’t make sense. He’s not even connected to the coven. How--”

“He’s Old Blood. Apparently one of his ancestors was Tuatha Dé Danann.”

“No.” Russ shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. This is not happening. I’m not going to do it.”

“You refuse this, you’re not going to get another chance for a century. At least.” Her voice was hard. “You are not blowing this, Russ, because of some petty squabble that you have with Milt.”

“It’s not just my petty squabble. I can’t imagine he’s going to be happy about this. I mean, imagine being locked to me for the rest of his life.

“He doesn’t have a choice. His family has a blood debt. He was offered. I guess that is part of the reason behind his transfer.”

Russ sat back in his chair, shocked. “That’s why he was brought here?”

“They didn’t share their reasoning with me. But it’s entirely possible someone pulled strings with the FBI. You know,” her voice lowered. “If you don’t claim him, who knows what the leadership will decide to do with him? He could be sent anywhere, used as bait, or given to someone else…”

Russ’s stomach clenched. He knew he couldn’t let that happen. “When? When am I supposed to claim him?”

“The next full moon.”

That was over a week away.

“So wait, so he knows about us? About the coven.”

Kim shook her head. “According to the leadership, he knew he was going to be required to offer himself, but he doesn’t know any specifics.”

“So he doesn’t know… I mean, he can’t tell…”

She shook her head. “I doubt it. Have you ever gotten a sense that he knew about you?”

Russ shook his head.

“Looks like it will be up to you to bring him up to speed, so to speak. Now, you need to meet with the elders tonight.” She glared at him. “Go, be humbled, grateful and honored. Put on a good show.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

*^*

Friday night, Russ was pacing in his apartment, desperately trying not to think about what was going to happen the next day.

There was a knock at the door. He opened it to find Milt standing on the other side.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, panic spiking. Had Milt found out about him? Was he here to confront Russ? Tell him to go to hell?

Milt held up a six-pack of beer. “I brought booze.” From the way he teetered in the doorway, Russ suspected he had already had a few.

Russ stilled. “I see that,” he managed. “Still doesn’t tell me what you are doing on my doorstep.”

“I wanted to have a drink. Didn’t want to drink alone, so I thought of you. Have a beer with me, Russ.” He pushed past Russ, swaying slightly as he walked into the apartment.

Milt dropped the six pack on the coffee table and collapsed on the couch. “So what are we watching?”

The ten o’clock news was on. Russ sat down next to Milt and picked up the remote. He found a basketball game, and left that on. He opened one of the beers and handed it to Milt, then took one for himself.

“If you didn’t want to drink alone, I am sure half of the female population of Battle Creek would have been delighted to keep you company.” Maybe more than half, Russ though, as he notice the way Milt’s hair was falling across his forehead.

Milt shrugged. “People I don’t know. And it’s not worth… Well, I just didn’t feel like being around strangers tonight.

Realization dawned. Milt didn’t know anything about vampires, or their coven, so he probably thought he was dying tomorrow.

“What?” Milt was looking at him through half-closed eyes.

Russ took a long pull of the beer. “Nothing.” He leaned back on the couch and turned his attention to the TV. “The Lakers suck.”

“Hmmm.” Milt didn’t seem to have much else to say. They watched the game mostly in silence, and it wasn’t long before Milt dropped off to sleep.

Russ allowed himself a small smile as he draped the ancient afghan on his couch over the other man. Milt had come to him without knowing that after tomorrow, they were pretty much going to tied together for the rest of their lives. If he’d know, maybe the company of strangers would have been more attractive.

*^*

Milt was still asleep when Russ got up the next morning. He was quietly refilling the coffee maker when the doorbell rang.

It was Kim. “Just dropping this off.” She handed him a bulky manila envelope. “Your key to the cabin. I had everything well-stocked. I’ll take care of the vacation paperwork for you and…” She started. “Milt.”

Russ glanced behind him and, sure enough, Milt had woken and was staring in the hallway. He caught sight of Guziewicz and blushed. “Uh, Commander. I was just leaving. Russ let me crash on his couch last night.” He turned to Russ. “Thanks, again. I’ve, uh… got to go.” He pushed past them into the hallway and turned back. “It’s been a pleasure working with you both.” Then he hurried down the hall.

Kim turned back to Russ, her eyes wide.

Russ shrugged. “He just showed up last night, kinda drunk. I let him sleep on the couch. I think he’s convinced he’s dying today.”

“And he came to you.” She smiled at him. “That says something, I think.”

“Says he’s off his nut.”

“It says that you’re well-matched.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Good luck tonight.”

The door had closed softly behind her before Russ answered. “I’ll need it.”

*^*

That night, Russ got to the appointed clearing just as darkness fell. He waited silently at the edge of the wood. Maybe Milt wouldn’t show, but he doubted that. Milt, for all his faults, seemed to have an internal moral code.

Sure enough, just before midnight, Russ heard footfalls in the grass and caught the bobbling beam of a flashing glancing across the clearing. Milt, dressed in a pair of track pants and an old sweatshirt, appeared at the edge of the clearing. Russ drew back into the shadows and watched.

Milt stood there for several long minutes before he slowly stepped into the clearing and walked to the center. In the pale moonlight, he looked delicious. Milt seemed at a loss for what to do next, and Russ decided it was time to make his presence known.

He stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Milt.”

Milt whirled around, the beam of the flashlight searching wildly. “What? Who’s there?”

“Milt, it’s me.”

“Oh my god, Russ.” Milt swallowed hard. “Russ, you can’t be here. You need to leave now.”

Russ allowed himself a small laugh. “Oh, I am exactly where I am supposed to be.”

“No, you don’t understand. You need to…” Milt trailed off as realization dawned. “Wait. You? You mean you’re a… a vampire?”

Russ smiled and let his fangs emerge. Milt recoiled instantly, stepping back from him, looking like he might break into a run. Not that Russ was worried. He could easily catch Milt at night, with his enhanced senses working.

But Milt didn’t run. It took some effort, but he did manage to pull himself together.

“Okay,” he said. “Okay. In a way, I’m kind of glad that it’s you. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Hate to break it to you, but you’re not getting off that easy.” Milt actually began to look annoyed. “Come on.”

Milt followed him through the woods until they got to the service road. The cabin was only about twenty minutes further. They didn’t speak until they arrived.

The cabin was owned by the coven, and used for “official purposes.” No expense had been spared; it was full of plush furnishings and high end finishes. There was a gourmet kitchen, a living room complete with large screen TV and entertainment center. There were bookshelves filled with the latest bestsellers and about a thousand different movies. Upstairs there was a large bedroom with a king size bed, dual headed shower and a jetted tub.

Russ ushered Milt inside, made straight for the wet bar and poured him a large whiskey. He put the glass in front of him. “Drink, and then we need to talk.”

Milt dutifully picked up the glass and took a large swallow. “Really, Russ. I didn’t think you’d be the type to drag this out.” He downed the rest of the glass. “But maybe you vampires enjoy playing with your food before you eat it.”

Russ rolled his eyes. “Cut the crap, Chamberlain. You’re not dying tonight or anytime soon. I’m going to explain everything to you, but thought you might need to loosen up a bit first.”

“Great. I would love to hear why I had no idea my partner was a vampire.”

Russ refilled Milt’s glass and poured himself one as well. “That’s probably because everything you think you know about vampires is wrong.”

“Well, I’ve figured out you can walk around in the sunlight.”

Russ smiled. “Such an investigator.”

“And since you bled when you got shot, and went to the hospital, I’m guessing you’re not ‘undead’ in any sense of the word.”

“Nope, alive and breathing.”

“And not of that crap about garlic or crucifixes.”

“Nope.” Russ took a drink of his whiskey.

“But you drink blood.”

“We _can_ drink blood. But we don’t have to.”

Milt blinked. “You don’t have to?”

Russ shook his head. “We don’t need to do it in order to survive. And Vampires already have enhanced senses, especially at night. But drinking blood, especially Old Blood, like yours, gives us special powers. Super strength, super speed, superior healing ability…”

Milt sat forward. “Is that why you were able to heal so quickly after you were shot?”

Russ nodded. “They gave me blood in the hospital.”

“How about immortality?”

“Vampires aren’t immortal, but they do live longer than humans. Three to four hundred years, on average.”

Milt blinked. “Four hundred years?”

“On average. Bonded pairs generally live longer.”

“Wow.” Milt sat back. “So how old are you, really?”

“I’m only forty-five. Still a juvenile, really, in vampire terms.” Russ smiled.

“Okay… so you’re not going to kill me, and you’re not going to… turn me?”

Russ rolled his eyes. “Haven’t you been paying attention? You can’t become a vampire, you have to be born one.”

“Then what do you want with me?”

Russ sighed. He knew they’d need to get around to this sooner or later. “They said your family had a blood debt.”

Milt shook his head. “Something to do with my grandfather. I don’t know anything about it. I just know that when I was eighteen, my parents sat me down and told me what was expected of me.” His face tightened. “Like it was some kind of honor. And that I had to obey, or they were going to take my younger sister instead.”

“Some birthday present.”

“It wasn’t a good year.” Milt took another drink.

“I bet.” Russ took a deep breath. “My coven doesn’t kill people. I was just appointed as a Guardian. That’s kind of like, a protector of the coven. Guardians need to drink blood regularly so they can fulfil their duties. So the elders have decided you will be my consort.”

“Consort?”

Russ winced. “Yeah, it’s an old fashioned term. It means--”

“I know what it means. So I am just supposed to follow you around for the rest of my life, offering you my neck whenever you need it?”

“That’s the idea.”

“Jesus.” Milt wrapped his arms around himself.

“It’s not going to be that bad.”

Milt laughed bitterly.

“Nothing much is even going to change at first. We’ll stay here, do our jobs. It will probably take the normals ten years before they notice we haven’t aged.”

“Wait, _we_ haven’t aged?”

“You’re not going to age either. At least not at a normal rate. It is a side effect of being my consort. You’ll need to drink some of my blood. It will increase your strength, your stamina and your ability to produce blood… for me.”

“Great. You’ve managed to make this creepier.”

Russ laughed. “Sorry. Just telling it like it is.”

“And what happens after ten years?”

Russ shrugged. “We’ll get moved. Assigned to another coven in another part of the country. The Elders have agreements with covens all over the country. Or they could give us some time off…send us to Europe or South America.”

Milt sat in silence for a while, seemingly contemplating this type of future. Then he sighed and met Russ’s eyes. “So where do you want to do this?”

There was still more they needed to talk about, but…. “In the other room.”

Milt walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He stripped off his tee shirt and tossed it on the floor.

“That’s not—Okay fine.” Russ’s eyes lingered too long on the planes of Milt’s bare chest. Then he stripped off his own shirt as well, and sat down next to him. “You need to go first. That’s the way this usually works, anyway.”

Milt made a face. “So I have to drink your blood?”

“Just a little.” Russ pulled his small silver folding knife out of his pocket and cut a small incision just below his collarbone. Blood welled. He gestured to Milt. “Come on.”

Milt took a deep breath. “Okay.” He leaned forward and lapped at the blood that was now dripping down Russ’s chest.

Russ brought one hand to the back of Milt’s neck, and sank back against the couch. He squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel each wet swipe of Milt’s tongue. His other hand clenched into a fist at his side. This was a new experience for him as well, and it was much more intense than he could have imagined.

Milt’s movements became slightly frantic, his hands running over Russ’s skin, his mouth hungry. He was actually… moaning slightly.

“Okay, that’s enough.” He pushed Milt back with a firm hand on his shoulder.

Milt looked dazed as he sat back. There was blood smeared across his mouth. His eyes were bright. “I didn’t… that just…”

“You okay?” Russ asked.

“I didn’t… I mean, that was… Jesus, Russ.”

Before Russ knew what was happening, Milt leaned across the space between them and sealed their lips together. Russ’s lips parted automatically as Milt pushed them back so they were horizontal on the couch.

Okay. Russ had heard that vampire blood did have this effect on some people. He stroked a soothing hand up Milt’s bare back and wondered if this was fair to the other man.

He pulled back. “Milt, are you sure about this? We don’t have to…” There were plenty of platonic relationships between vampires and their blood consorts.

“Fuck, Russ,” Milt moaned. “Want this. Wanted you for so long.” He pushed his face into Russ's neck.

Well, that was promising.

“You drive me crazy, Russ. Always pushing everyone away. You hated me from the moment I got here. And I could tell. But I just wanted to be close to you. It was like nothing else mattered.” Milt’s head lifted, his eyes suddenly curious. “Was that because you were a vampire? Some kind of magnetism mojo thing?

Russ laughed. “Just your horrible taste.” He leaned up and captured Milt’s lips again. Reassured by Milt’s words, he proceeded to thoroughly mat out his consort’s mouth. He gripped the back of Milt’s head hard, and invaded with a strong thrust of his tongue. Milt moaned and opened for him.

Russ worked his free hand between them and found Milt’s cock hard in his pants. He rubbed gently through the fabric and then slipped his hand under the elastic waistband. He wrapped his hand around the hard, dewy flesh and Milt moved back to pant against his mouth.

“Russ, Russ come on…”

Russ pulled his hands back. “Let’s go upstairs,” he growled.

They stumbled up the stairs, not wanting to take their hands off each other. They tumbled onto the bed, limbs entangled. Russ desperately fought for control as he stripped off his clothes, and rolled Milt underneath him.

Russ’s cock throbbed as he took in the sight. Finally, there was Milt Chamberlain, naked on the white sheets and _his_. Completely his. Milt’s eyes darkened as Russ leaned down and rubbed his face in the soft skin of his thighs. He used his tongue to trace the seam of his thigh, up his shaft and then closed his mouth around the head and sucked.

Milt writhed beneath him as Russ worked his cock. Milt had a nice cock. It was thick and long, curving just slightly. Russ kissed, nipped, and licked every inch of it before wrapping his lips around it and taking Milt deep, swallowing him down to the root.

“Oh, fuck, Russ,” Milt gasped out. “I’m going to…”

Russ squeezed his thigh with one hand, tacitly giving permission, and a minute later, Milt was coming down his throat.

After a few final, gentle sucks, Russ released his cock and moved up Milt’s body. Milt was still gasping, his eyes dazed. Russ dropped a quick kiss on his lips, slowly dragged his mouth down to Milt’s neck. His fanged extended, and his mouth watered. He licked the proper spot once, twice, and then bit down, hard.

Milt cried out, and the flavor of his blood burst on Russ’s tongue. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. Russ moaned loudly and sucked hard. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed through him, and he could feel the tremors running through Milt as well.

It took a concentrated effort to stop himself and pull back. Milt needed to adapt to his new role, and Russ needed to be patient with his feedings. He licked gently at the two holes until the bleeding stopped. Then he raised his head and surveyed his newly minted consort.

Milt was sprawled out on the sheets, his hair mussed, his eyes wide and dazed. He looked… Russ swallowed hard. He was beautiful. And he’s mine, Russ thought. His blinked.

“How are you?” Russ asked gently.

“That was…” Milt shook his head. “I don’t even know what that was.”

“Too weird?”

“It was incredible.”

“Better than the sex?”

Milt barked out a laugh. “Different. But that was quite an appetizer.”

Russ pulled him closed and licked at his neck again. “It will hurt less next time,” he said. “As you get used to it.”

“It didn’t really hurt this time. So how did I taste?”

Russ licked his lips. “Good. Really good.”

“Want some more?” Milt arched his neck invitingly.

“Tomorrow. You need to get used to the whole process.” “In fact, you should be drinking water now.” He got out of bed and headed back downstairs. In the kitchen, he found a few bottles of water in the fridge and brought them back upstairs with him.

Milt obediently drank one down.

“There’s plenty of food downstairs. I’ll make us some dinner in a little while”

Milt stretched out his arms and yawned. “How long are we staying here?”

“At least a week. No contact with the outside. It’s tradition.”

Milt suddenly sat up, alarmed. “What about work?”

Russ rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry. Guziewicz is going to take care of your paperwork for you.”

Milt slouched back. “So no one is going to come looking for us.”

“Nope.” Russ grinned. “You’re all mine.” He ran a hand over Milt’s abs and up the smooth plane of his chest. “You worried someone is going to come rescue you?”

“No.” Milt covered his face with his hands. “I just left some things in my apartment that might be… alarming out of context.”

Russ raised an eyebrow. “What things?”

Milt flushed. “I left my will out, and I… wrote some letters.”

“Letters? You mean, like, your last words?” Russ tried (and failed) to suppress a laugh. “Did I get one?” he asked.

“Yes.” Milt rolled over and buried his face in a pillow.

Russ was delighted. “What did it say? Are you going to let me read it?”

“ _No_.” Milt’s voice was emphatic, even being slightly muffled. “I just, I thought if I disappeared you wouldn’t let it rest. You would sink your teeth… ah, you wouldn’t let this go. And I didn’t want you to think you had failed in any way. So I explained that I left of my own free will, and told you not to look for me.”

Russ pictured Milt alone, writing that letter, and something in his chest twisted. He pulled Milt back into his arms. “Well,” he said roughly, “You didn’t need to do that. But I appreciate the intention.”

Milt looked up. “So what now?”

“Now sleep.” Russ leaned over and flicked out the light. “We’ll get up and eat later. Then more sex. Repeat for the next seven days.”

Milt spooned into Russ’s side. He was a cuddler. This was totally unsurprising. “Sounds good,” he murmured.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised you all a companion, but this little snippet just wouldn't leave me alone... I am still working on the other piece, I promise!

Milt was alone when he woke. He had slept for longer than he expected; there was no clock in the bedroom, but morning sunlight was bright in the windows. He stretched out in the soft sheets, feeling languid. The bed was luxurious and comfortable, but it would be better if there were someone in it with him.

He heard Russ moving around downstairs, and caught the scent of bacon cooking. Breakfast. His stomach rumbled. Maybe it was time to get up. He rolled out of the bed and found his sweats in ball on the floor. He slipped them on and headed into the bathroom. He used the toilet and splashed some water on his face. He then spent way too long inspecting the two small holes that now decorated the skin just above his collarbone.

It was hard to believe. Russ, his gruff, cranky partner, was one of the ancient order of vampires he had been hearing about his whole life. And they were going to be tied together for hundreds of years. The execution that had been hanging over him his entire life had just been turned into an extended life sentence. Milt had a feeling it was going to take him a while to fully process that.

He headed downstairs. He found Russ in the kitchen, spooning an enormous amount of scrambled eggs on to a plate.

“Hey, sleeping beauty. I was wondering if you were going to get up before noon.” Milt didn’t miss the way Russ’s eyes lingered on his neck.

“I guess I was more tired than I thought,” he said.

Russ fiddled with the toaster and then poured a large glass of orange juice and placed it in front of him.

Milt looked around. He hadn’t taken the time to look around the place last night. The cabin was lovely and rustic, tucked away in the middle of the woods. The kitchen was unquestionable modern, though. There were gleaming stainless steel appliances, dark wood cabinets and marble countertops.

He sipped the juice and watched Russ bustle around the kitchen. He looked surprisingly at home there, for all the man seemed to live on éclairs and black coffee. He could get used to this. _He would_ get used to this. This was literally the first day of the rest of their lives together.

Russ placed a plate in front of him. “Well, eat up.” The plate was overflowing. Aside from the enormous mound of eggs, there were four slices of bacon, sausages and toast that was slathered in butter.

Milt dutifully tucked in. “I normally never eat big breakfasts,” he said between mouthfuls.

“I bet you normally have something disgusting like wheat grass smoothies.”

Milt shook his head and swallowed a mouthful of eggs. “Yogurt with granola, or oatmeal, sometimes.”

Russ shook his head. “Well, you need to start eating more. You are going to need it for the extra blood you’ll be producing.”

Milt winced. He put his fork down.

“What?” Russ raised his eyebrows. “No blood talk while you’re eating?”

Milt forced his last mouthful down. “No… I mean, it doesn’t help. But…” He sighed. “Is that going to be all there is between us?”

“What do you mean? Are you having second thoughts about this whole thing?”

“I just want to know…” Milt stopped and stared out of the window for a long moment. “Is this going to be all there is between us? … I wait around for you to need me, then you drink my blood, I drink yours. Is that it? For the next four hundred years?”

Russ stared at him, and Milt felt his face heat. The words had come out without him really thinking about them. Apparently that fear had been simmering below the surface. He forced his attention onto his plate and half-heartedly pushed the eggs around.

The silence in the room seemed to grow until finally Milt heard Russ say, “Like you would ever let that happen.”

He looked up. Russ was grinning and shaking his head.

“What?” Milt asked, a touch defensively. He was opening himself up here, something that was never easy for him, and Russ was laughing at him.

“I’m just thinking about all the ways you’ve already managed to take over what I would consider my life. The office, the cases… You’ve nosed your way into my job, my past, my friends, even my pathetic excuse for a love life. All with me digging my heels in the entire time.”

Milt’s mood darkened at that last mention. He pushed back from the table. “Right? I had to drag you kicking and screaming into a casual working relationship. And even with that, you’ve barely been civil, keeping me at arm’s length. Is that how it is going to be forever?”

Russ sighed and looked away. “I have kept my distance, but obviously, I had my own reasons. It’s hard being around people… building relationships with people… knowing you’re going to outlive their grandkids. This is going to be a major adjustment for me as well. But, God help me, there’s no reason for any distance between us now.”

“That’s true,” Milt said slowly. “We are going to have each other for the rest of our lives.”

“I’m sure as hell not letting you go now.”

“So, you’re going to be open.” Milt gave him a smile. “Are you going to share your _feelings_ , Russ?”

Russ rolled his eyes. “I’m going to try. But don’t think we’re going to be holding hands at the office or anything. And this goes both ways, Mr. Mysterious. You’ve going to have to answer some of my questions too.”

“I know.” Milt did. They weren’t generally pretty stories, though. There was a reason he was reticent about his past. He hoped Russ would be patient with him. As he watched his new partner sip his coffee, he realized how hard it must have been for Russ, keeping his distance from everyone. He cared about people, a lot more than he let on. And he knew he was going to have to leave them all behind. Until now. Milt wasn’t going anywhere…

“Finish your breakfast.” Russ leaned back against the counter and drank his coffee. “Then we can go back to bed,” he said with a wink.

Milt re-dedicated himself to his food. In a few minutes, the plate was mostly empty. Russ had already drained his coffee. Milt was barely allowed to put his plate in the sink before Russ grabbed his hand and towed him back up the stairs to the bed.

**Author's Note:**

> So I got about half-way through this fic and had a creative crisis. Would it have made more sense to make Milt the vampire, and Russ the hapless blood-debtor? I think that scenario would make sense as well, since Milt is kind of an alien being in the Battle Creek universe, and Russ does have an over-arching sense of duty...
> 
> Anyway, I decided to continue the story as planned, but I may write a companion piece with the roles reversed just to see how that would turn out. What do you guys think?


End file.
